Ideologies that shaped the Crafts Movement in India: Ethel Mairet, Coomaraswamy and Gandhi

Discover how the lives of three public figures in late 19th thro’ mid-20th cen. intersect in unique and

unexpected ways through their particular insights into the crafts tradition of the sub-continent,

combined with the evolution of the Arts & Crafts Movement in England. It triggered a newfound respect for the handcrafted textile. For Gandhi, the idea came to symbolize India’s fight for freedom.

Little known is the fact how Ethel Mairet, Coomaraswamy’s first wife, captured the energy of the period when designers and artisans were deeply engaged with debates surrounding the future of crafts in an industrial world.  A modern maker with a modern audience in mind, she remained a pioneer in craft, promoting traditional techniques of hand weaving, spinning, and dyeing, singlehandedly reviving handloom weaving and natural dyeing in Britain.

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